Apparatus for manipulating metallic articles.



R. B. @L H. s. THOMAS A. W. 'RDAV|S. N. C B. THOMA'S. H. R. W. ANDERSON L C. BATHURST, ADMIN'l-STRATORS 0F R. B. THOMAS, DEC'D.

APPARATUS Foa MAWULAHAGy METALLlc Amicus.

Patented Jan.1,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1914.-,

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R. B. & H. S. THOMAS L W. R. DAVIES. N. c B. THOMAS, H. R. w. ANDERSON a c. ArHuRsT. ADMlmsTRAToRs of R. s. THOMAS. nEc'n.

APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING METALLIC ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED IUIIEZO 1914.

.Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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2 LRICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS, or LONDON, ENGLAND, HUBERT sPENeE THeMAs, or

` LLANDAFF, AND WILLIAM ROBERT'DAVIES, or WHITOHURCH, WALES; NORA CON- STANCIE: BEAUMONT THOMAS, HENRY ROBERT WILLIAM ANDERSON, AND CHARLES f1 MURST ADMINISTRATORS OF SAID RICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS, DEOEASD.

APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING METALLIC E'VIICLES.V

" To all whom traag concern:

, Be it known that we, RICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS, HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS, and W 1L- LIAM ROBERT DAVIES, subjects of the King of Y 'YGreat Britain, residing, respectively, at N o.

ff39 Hyde Park Gate, London, S. lV., England; Hazelwood,7 Cardiff Road, Llan- ,dafl Glamorganshire, lValcs, and Forest- Lyn, kHeoldon, l/Vhitchurch, Glamorganshire, W'alcs, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for `r Manipulating Metallic, Articles, of which the ,following is a specification. Our invention relates to appliances or machinery in which a sucker device is employed for the manipulation of metallic plates, sheets, bars and the like and consists 'jof the improvements hereinafter described inthe ysaid appliances or machinery whereby @irregularity in the picking up-of the plates gor'sheets -singly or one by one is obtained 'unattainable by appliances or machinery as heretofore proposed. Y A Qur invention is especially useful in connection with the manipulation of metallic plates and sheets in tin plate manufacture (and we will describe the same in connection with such manufacture but we wish it to be "understood that the said appliances or machinery ma be employed generally where fitis desire to pick up plates, sheets, bars orv the like one by one`for the purpose of feeding them to rolls, grippers or other ,devices to which the plates, sheets or.the 'like are to be transferred, or for other pur- -poses, for example the turning over of plates vK' or sheets for examination and assortment of thesame. Where the plates, sheets or bars Vare to be fed to rolls ory the like we preferably arrange Vthe stacker pile of plates, V sheets or bars on a curved block and to 'reduce suction between contacting plates or [sheets in a pile to a minimum and insure regularity in the picking up of the plates singly or one byonc, We introduce between lthe presented or contacting surfaces of the plates sand or the like, or we deliver a blast of air or other blast against one or more edges of the plates or sheets, the air or other blast being preferably so directed as to tend Vto lift the outermost Or uppermost plate, lsheet or bar from the rest of the plates,

Specification of Letters Patent.

remates aan. i, isis Application led June 20, 1914i. Serial No. 846,305.

sheets or bars in the pile. le arrange the sucker device at one end of a lever or swinging' arm by the action of which the sucker device is brought with such pressure on to the outermost or uppermost plate, sheet or bar `that the sucker device atixes itself or adheres to the plate sheet, or bar with sutiicient force to effect, on the motion of the arm or lever, the picking up and removal of the uppermost or outermost plate, sheet or ball from 'the pile. The lever may have in Some part of its length a spring by which a yielding pressure is applied to the sucker or the like when the same is brought against or on to the plate, sheet or bar, or a spring or springs may be ar 'anged if thought -necessary or desirable between. the sucker or lifting device and the connection of the same with the free end of the swinging arm. Where the plates, sheets or bars are to be turned over or reversed the lever or swinging arm is arranged to move through an angle of about 180 degrees, which motion may be effected through gearing operated through a shaft or an appropriate part of the machine.

The operation of the lever or arm lifts a plate, sheet or bar and brings it on to an inclined table Or chute, the plate or the like being stripped from the sucker by the continued motion o"f the arm Awhich passes through a slot in the table or chute and preferably brings the sucker under water by which it is wetted prior to being brought on to the next plate, sheet or bar. A part of the inclined table or chute down which the plates descend may have the form of a counterpoised lever so that should more than one plate at a time be lifted and passed on to the jointed part of the table or chute, the jointed partof the table or chute will'turn ou its pivot and permit the plates, sheets or bars to slide therefrom under the table or chute and prevent their delivery to the rolls or other machinery and thus obviate damage which might result to the said rolls or machinery adjusted for the treatment of the plates, sheets or bars singly or one at a time.

An alarm, for example an electric bell or lamp or both may be employed to'indicate when the jointed portion of thejableor chute has. turned under the weight of more than one plate, sheet or bar and deposited the said plates, sheets or bars under the table or chute.

Figure l of 'the accompanying drawing represents in side elevation the appliance or machine for feeding metallic plates sheets constituting our invention as arranged for feeding plates or sheets to tinning machines.

F ig. 2 is a plan of the same showing a series of three of the sheet feeding appliances.

Fig. 3 represents in elevation drawn to a larger scale a modified sucker and parts adjacent thereto.

Fig. 4; is a View' similar to Fig. i showing the machine equipped with the modified sucker shown in Fig. 3. i

rllhe same letters of reference il'idicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawing.

a is the hollow conical cup preferably of india rubber constituting the sucker proper the said sucker a being carried by a pin b occupying an eye at the end of the long arm of the lever c a coiled spring Z being an ranged between the sucker and the end ot the long arm of the lever c. Preferably a series of the levers c is lixed on a rocking shaft c1 and by the oscillation or backward and forward partial rotation of' the said shaft the levers receive an oscillating motion through about 180 degrees. The long arms of the levers c are oounterbalanced by the weighted short arms c2. By the action of the levers a single plate is lifted and carried ovei` on to Lthe chute e which consists of a series of lazy disk rolls the ot which are supported by inclined bars el the inclination of the bars being seen in Fig. l. As soon, as the sucker is released from the plate or sheet by the continued motion of the levers between and below the bars el the plate or sheet travels down the chute and falls on to the preferably somewhat lower inclined chute e2 which has the form oi a countern balanced lever with adjustable weights es.

Thalevers e2 are pivoted on knife edge supports f (or their equivalents) and the counterbalanced Weights c3 are adjusted so that should more than a single plate be received on them simultaneously the lever e2 will turn on its pivot and pass the said two or more plates or sheets ander the table et the machine. l? a single plate only is re ceived by the levers eiit passes down the chute to the rolls or other appliances by which it is to be received. The oscillation of the shaft c1 through the desired anglo may be effected in various ways. in the drawing we have shown the said shaft operated by spur wheel gearing, o3 being a pinion on the shaft c1 in gear with a spur wheel g1 ona spindle g arranged parallel with the said shaft. The spur Wheel g1 receives its backward and iorwardturi g i'roin measles the pulley driven, or otherwise driven, shaft h through the crank z and connecting rod la' 'the said connecting rod lc having a preferably adjustable connection with the lever arm g2 carried by the spur wheel g1 or its spindie g.

Preferably the. sucker a is carried below the chute e and there wetted previous to the next operation. An example of a suitable wetting device for the sucker is shown in Fig. 4, it consisting of a jet 2 attached to a water supply pipe 3. With this arrangement, when the arm c is at or near its lowest position, the cup a is brought under a stream of water issuing from the jet 2 whereby the cup is wetted, the surplus water running from the cup opposite position to bring the cup a onto the nent sheet to be picked up and transferred to the chute. Also the sucker may be provided with a valve a1 as is represented in Figs. 3 and 4 the axial rod a2 of which is kept down on its seat by the coiled spring a3. A trip lever m is provided to effect the lifting of the valve al off its seat when the plate or sheet reaches the chute e the trip lever m for each cup being actuated automatically by a projection n arranged in its path. On the lifting of the valve air is admitted to the sucker and the plate or sheet is instantly released.

Ir" desired we may obtain a vacuum or partial vacuum in the sucker, by the action of a pump.

`We wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction and arrangement of parts hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompany ing drawings as the operating mechanism may be varied within considerable limits without departing from the nature of our invention.

"We claim 1. Mechanism for removing sheets one by one from a stack comprising, in combination, a journaled arm provided with an elastie cup the edge of which, by the motion of the arm in one direction, is brought onto the uppermost sheet in the stack and is spread out dat or approximately dat under the pressure of the arm so that on the reverse motion of said arm atmospheric pressure alone causes the cup to act as a sucker on the uppermost sheet which is thus picked up and removed from the stacked sheets, means for wetting the edge of the cup prior to the engagement with each sheet, and means for moving the journaled arm.

2. In mechanism for manipulating stacked sheets and removing the sheets one by one from the stack, the combination of means comprising an arm secured to a horizontal rocking shaft, the saidarm performing an oscillatory or swinging motion in a vertical when the arm c swings to its piane, the tree end of the arm carryingan elastic cup the edge of which is by the oscillatory or swinging motion of the arm in one direction brought onto the uppermost sheet in the stack, the cup being thereby flattened or spread out so that on `the arm commencing its reverse swinging motion atmospheric pressure acting on the iattened or spread-out cup and sheet causes the said uppermost sheet to adhere to the cup and to be carried over by the swinging motion of the arm to the other side of the shaft, and aV chute embodying bars between which the arm and cup pass and to which the sheet is thereby transferred.

3. In mechanism for manipulating stacked sheets and removing the sheets one by one from the stack, the combination of means comprising an arm capable of a swinging motion in a vertical plane, the free end of the arm carrying an elastic cup capable of being spread out or flattened when brought by the arm onto the uppermost sheet in the stack7 means for wetting lthe cup before being brought into contact with the uppermost sheet, so that on the arm commencing a reverse motion atmospheric pressure acting between the flattened or spread out cup and sheet causes the sheet to be lifted and trans' ferred to an inclined chute, and meansfor detaching the sheet from the arm,` said means consisting of a spring-closed valve in the cup and a coperating valve-opening member. .1

4. In mechanism formanipt'llating stacked sheets and removing the sheets one by one from the stack, the combination of means comprising an arm fixed on a rocking shaft and having on its free end an elastic cup having a suction releasing valve and an actuating lever for said valve, said arm and cup receiving an overthrow swinging motion due to the forward and backward partial rotation of the said shaft, the'elastic cup at the end of the swinging of the arm in one direction being brought onto the upper most sheet in the stack on which it is fiattened or spread out so that on the arm commencing its reverse motion atmospheric pressure causes the sheet to adhere to the cup and to be picked up and carried over, a chute Y embodying bars between which the arm and cup pass and to which the sheet is transfcrred, and a support or pressure bar below the chute with which the valve-opening lever carried by the swinging arm is made to contact and thereby effect the opening of the valve in the cup and the release of the suction in the cup by the time the sheet reaches or nearly reaches the surface of the chute.

In testimony-whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS. HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS. WILLIAM ROBERT DAVIES. Witnesses:

C. LUDLOW LIVINGSTON, J osEPH TICKLE. 

